


Fearless Heroes

by Fleur_de_Violette



Series: Whumptober (more like hurt/comfortober-november-december) 2020 [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Cassandra Cain Needs a Hug, Duke Thomas Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Mentioned Cassie Sandsmark, Mentioned Dick Grayson, Mentioned Kon-El | Conner Kent, Power Outage, This isn't really whump at this point, Whumptober 2020, fears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fleur_de_Violette/pseuds/Fleur_de_Violette
Summary: The Signal was fearless. The Signal was a superpowered ally of Batman, part of the outsiders and generally a hero.Duke Thomas…. Duke Thomas wasn’t.Whumptober Day 27 – Power Outage
Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Duke Thomas
Series: Whumptober (more like hurt/comfortober-november-december) 2020 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984960
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	Fearless Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> Alright. This is fluff. This isn’t whump. I tried. But this is just… mostly fluff. It can barely go in the emotional hurt/comfort category. I hope you’ll enjoy the fic.

The Signal was fearless. The Signal was a superpowered ally of Batman, part of the outsiders and generally a hero. 

Robin, the one that had been part of a bigger team of Robin, had been fearless. He’d been the first one to fight when his city needed him. 

Duke Thomas wasn’t. 

Duke Thomas was a young man lost in the middle of amazing people, and he was just a dude who couldn’t shut up and kept getting himself in impossible situation. 

And Duke Thomas was scared. 

Duke Thomas was fucking scared. 

Why? The reason why was stupid even to his own ears. Duke Thomas, The Signal, master of all forms of lights was scared of the dark. 

He’d managed all the evening, the team having been called when a thunderstorm had hit Gotham, damaging several power lines and cutting the electricity. He helped bravely, using his powers over and over, because he was a hero. 

He was a hero, and yet, back at the manor, once everything was calm again and they were just waiting for the power to come back, he couldn’t move.

He had offered to get a card game when Steph, Tim, Cass and himself realized they weren’t going to sleep anytime soon, but he couldn’t take a step into the game room. 

Of course, he could use his powers. He knew he could use his powers and see easily. But something prevented him from doing it. Like if there were a bad thing in the dark, it wouldn’t attack him as long as he didn’t see it. 

It was a childish way of thinking but sue him. He wanted to be a child. 

The fear wasn’t new. He’d been scared of the dark for as long as he could remember. His mother had brought him a small nightlight when he was child. Yellow, with a black fish on it. Replace the fish by a bat, and it might have almost looked like his costume. 

He didn’t know where the nightlight was, now. But he knew he had used it for a long time. And he wanted to have it. He wanted to be a child. 

He wanted his mom. 

He knew it wasn’t something possible. The memory of his parents, screaming horrors at him, always came when he was sad, or scared.

Alone in the dark.

“Duke?” 

He jumped at the sound. It took him a few second to remember that the person behind him wasn’t threatening. 

He could turn around. He should turn around. He managed to gather his courage to turn around. 

The person in question was Steph, a candle in her hand. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. We found candles. Wanna come in the living room with us?”

Duke looked at the dark game room entrance. 

“I didn’t get cards.” 

Stephanie smiled, taking his sleeve with the hand that wasn’t holding the candle. 

“We can play something else. Come on.” 

She was taking like she was Batgirl and he was a victim. He wondered if she saw him freaking out. He said nothing. 

Tim and Cass were already in the living room, huddled in each other under a blanket with a few candles in front of them. Steph immediately put her candle with the others and went on Cass’s other side. Duke could soon see why. Every time thunder roared, Cass would either melt into her brother or best-friend. He felt bad for her, but didn’t really know how to help. 

Such hero he was. 

Tim opened the blanket on his other side, inviting him. Duke obeyed. 

“Alright.” Said Stephanie. “Let’s play _Once upon a time._ Each one of us say one sentence and we’re telling a story. I’ll start.”

She took a deep breath and said. 

“Once upon a time…” 

She turned toward Duke and he understood it was his turn to talk. 

“There was a little boy.” He continued. That part was easy. 

“His family was never with him.” Said Tim and oh. They were going there. 

“Alone.” Said Cassandra. 

“His family… weren’t good people.” Added Stephanie “He’d been born with a cursed bloodline.” And alight. They _were_ going there. 

“But yet,” Duke took over, “this lineage had gifted him the most incredible abilities. Abilities he wasn’t sure he wanted.” 

“He let himself grow uncaring. Alone in a white room.” Continued Tim.

“Scared.” Said Cassandra before signing. “Of others. Of himself.” 

“But,” Said Steph, her eyes locked in Tim’s. “Someone broke the wall of his room and let him out.”

Duke smiled. 

“They showed him that there was so much more in this life than he believed.”

“Friends.” 

“Family.” 

“And then,” Steph was moving her hands while talking. “And then he found out what he really wanted was to help people.” 

“To be a hero.” 

“He found a way to control his power. To use them for good.”

“To protect.” 

Tim smiled, breaking the circle by talking when it was Stephanie’s turn. 

“Man, that sound like a story about Kon.” 

Stephanie laughed while hugging Cass when the thunder made a noise. 

“That does sound like a story about Kon. Have you ever met him, Duke?” 

Duke shook his head. 

“You should.” She looked at Tim. “Hey why don’t we take him with you our next mission?” 

Tim frowned. His hand went arond Cass. 

“Our? As far as I know, Batgirl isn’t a Titan.” 

Stephanie made a dramatic movement. 

“Oh, come on. I’m practically a Titan. And Duke should be one, too.”

Tim sighed, exasperatedly.

“That’s not how being a Titan works.” 

“What’s with that name anyway?” Asked Duke. “Pretentious much?” 

Tim put his hand that is not holding Cass in the air. 

“Don’t blame me. Blame Dick.” 

“Ah, yes.” Said Stephanie. “This is how things works in this family. Dick makes a name and we’re all rolling with it.” 

When Tim went to say something, she continued. 

“Anything to say, Red _Robin_?” 

“Oh, come on. That’s unfair. You’ve been Robin too. The only one here who hasn’t been Robin is Cass.” 

At the mention of her name, the young woman raised her head, only to put it back in her brother’s shoulder when thunder rolled. 

“Are you ok, Cass?” Asked Duke, feeling stupid. Of course, she wasn’t. 

Tim gave his sister a look, silently asking a permission, before talking for her. 

“She’s not friend with thunder, to say the least.” 

Duke nodded. 

“She was fine all night.” 

Tim laughed, a sad little sound. 

“Yeah, she learned how to ignore it when needed.” 

Steph shuddered, and Duke felt the same. No one should have to grow up in the conditions she had. 

“You were fine too.” Said the blond girl, almost inaudible. Tim’s questioning’s eyes turned toward him. 

Duke sighed. 

“I’m scared of the dark.” He admitted. 

Surprise showed on Tim’s face, and Duke got it, that was weird, because he was controlling light and shadows, and he knew. But he couldn’t help it. 

But the surprise only lasted for an instant, understanding taking its place. 

“Okay. Congratulation for tonight, then. You were brave.”

Duke looked at his feet. He didn’t call not being able to even get cards brave.

“I don’t feel very brave.”

“You are.” Approved Stephanie, eyes deeply in his. 

Cass nodded from her place, melted in Tim. 

“Alright.” Said Steph, stretching. “Another game. Once upon a time…” 

“There was a little girl.” 

Tim raised his head. 

“If we make this about Cassie, I swear to god…” 

Duke smiled. 

The room was still illuminated only by candles and the occasional flash of lighting.

But somehow, it didn’t seem so dark anymore. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the fic! This is kinda short, but I didn’t feel like adding more just for the sake of adding more. Have a nice day !


End file.
